I wish I’d tried that on the pushy NHK collection guy who came to my door at 9 p.m. last night. Apparently, the government requests all Japanese citizens and residents to contribute a monthly fee to the national television station—one price for terrestrial broadcasts and a higher one for satellite broadcasting. He almost wouldn’t leave when I insisted on taking his info and asking my coworkers before making any payments. I thought he’d shove his way into my apartment. Finally, though, he agreed to leave me with a payment hagaki, along with a warning that he’d be back if I didn’t pay. “If you own a TV,” he repeated. “If you have a single TV set in your home, whether or not you connect it, whether or not you watch it, you must pay.”

My coworker Akai-san explained that only about 50% of Japanese people actually pay this fee. She herself splits the difference between compliance and rebellion and pays the terrestrial but not the satellite fee. And they still come to her door once a month. She told me not to worry about it, just to look in the video doorbell and ignore it if it’s them.

4 Responses to A Tip for Working Your Stupid, Crazy Gaijin Image

So that’s what that is! I never got that in Miyagi! When I moved to Osaka this guy from the NHK came one night and tried to milk some money out of me. When I told him I just recently moved from Miyagi, he said I didn’t have to pay after all. He didn’t even ask for proof, he just walked off on me. 🙂